The grave and religious women also, like the men, had avoided the fashions of their times.  These had adopted the cap, and the black hood for their headdress.  The black hood had been long the distinguishing mark of a grave matron.  All prostitutes, so early as Edward the third, had been forbidden to wear it.  In after-times it was celebrated by the epithet of venerable by the poets, and had been introduced by painters as the representative of virtue.  When fashionable women had discarded it, which was the case in George Fox’s time, the more sober, on account of these ancient marks of its sanctity, had retained it, and it was then common among them.  With respect to the hair of grave and sober women In those days, it was worn plain, and covered occasionally by a plain hat or bonnet.  They had avoided by this choice those preposterous head-dresses and bonnets, which none but those, who have seen paintings of them, could believe ever to have been worn.  They admitted none of the large ruffs, that were then in use, but chose the plain handkerchief for their necks, differing from those of others, which had rich point, and curious lace.  They rejected the crimson sattin doublet with black velvet skirts, and contented themselves with a plain gown, generally of stuff, and of a drab, or grey, or buff, or buffin colour, as it was called, and faced with buckram.  These colours, as I observed before, were the colours worn by country people; and were not expensive, because they were not dyed.  To this gown was added a green apron.  Green aprons had been long worn in England, yet, at the time I allude to, they were out of fashion, so as to be ridiculed by the gay.  But old fashioned people still retained them.  Thus an idea of gravity was connected with them; and therefore religious and steady women adopted them, as the grave and sober garments of ancient times.

It may now be observed that from these religious persons, habited in this manner, in opposition to the fashions of the world, the primitive Quakers generally sprung.  George Fox himself wore the plain grey coat that has been noticed, with alchymy buttons, and a plain leather girdle about his waist.  When the Quakers therefore first met in religious union, they met in these simple clothes.  They made no alteration in their dress on account of their new religion.  They prescribed no form or colour as distinguishing marks of their sect, but they carried with them the plain habits of their ancestors into the new society, as the habits of the grave and sober people of their own times.

SECT.  II.

But though George Fox introduced no new dress into the society, he was not indifferent on the subject—­he recommended simplicity and plainness—­and declaimed against the fashions of the times—­supported by Barclay and Penn—­these explained the objects of dress—­the influence of these explanations—­dress at length incorporated into the discipline—­but no standard fixed either of shape or colour—­the objects of dress only recognized, and simplicity recommended—­a new Era—­great variety allowable by the discipline—­Quakers have deviated less from the dress of their ancestors than other people.